Chapter 354
Chapter Title: The Comet's Promise
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Fwoosh-!
The black flames erupting from the Hero Record engulfed the entire hall.
“Wh-what is this!”
A cry of astonishment escaped Rhagen's lips.
Fwoosh-!
The rampaging black flames soon swept over the audience.
Flash-!
But no one here was weak enough to be easily overcome by the black flames.
Crrrrack-!
A wall of ice shot up.
A chilling cold emanated from the elven mage sitting in the front row of the audience.
Those nearby watched in admiration.
“The Northern Magic Tower Master!”
Everyone's gaze turned to the Northern Magic Tower Master, Algren.
Whoooom-!
A frosty mana flowed from Algren's body.
Crrrack-!
The wall of ice began to move freely, as if it were a living slime.
Whoosh-!
Moving at an incredible speed, Algren's ice instantly enveloped the black flames.
Seeing this, Rhagen shouted.
“Northern Magic Tower Master! What do you think you're doing!”
Looking at the bloodshot-eyed Rhagen, Algren replied in a cold voice.
“Can you not see? Black flames erupted from that Hero Record. The source of this crisis is none other than the Hero Record itself. Is it not natural to eliminate it?”
“Are you saying you're going to destroy the great Seirun's record right now!”
“When you speak of black flames, there is only one possibility. Is it not natural to eliminate the source?”
Everyone gasped at Algren's words.
Though everyone was flustered by the sudden turn of events, they understood upon hearing Algren's words.
Black flames.
A symbol of a disaster so terrible, one hardly dared to speak its name.
“Just because they're black flames doesn't mean you can conclude it's the Primordial Evil!”
Rhagen screamed as if possessed.
“This is the Hero Record of the great Comet Mage, Seirun! A hero's record, the likes of which have never been discovered outside of those kept by the dragons! Committing the disrespect of destroying this record, which holds infinite potential, is utterly preposterous!”
Rhagen shrieked, filled with rage.
At that moment.
Crrrack-!
A crack appeared in Algren's magic.
Seeing it, Algren's expression changed drastically.
‘Already?’
The moment Algren was startled.
Kwoooooom-!
The black flames broke through the ice and burned everything around them.
Everyone in the hall used magic.
They cast spells, trying to extinguish the black flames by any means.
But as if mocking their efforts, the black flames devoured the mana and blazed even more fiercely.
“This can't be! How could this happen to the Comet Mage's Hero Record, which we worked so hard to obtain! How could this be!”
Rhagen roared, his eyes bloodshot.
But no magic had any effect on the black flames.
Just as they were watching helplessly as the black flames raged.
Whoooom-!
A pure white flame blocked the black flames.
The momentum of the unstoppable black flames died down.
Everyone's eyes widened as they stared at the one emitting the white flame.
Thump- Thump-
The girl who stepped forward, wreathed in white flames, looked almost divine.
“Lunia El Lundua.”
Someone murmured the girl's name.
A distant past.
The successor to the flame of the Phoenix King, who vanished 5,000 years ago.
Lunia glared at Seirun's Hero Record and said.
“These are Erebos's flames, I'm sure of it.”
Lunia had faced Erebos twice in the World of Heroes.
Of course, what she had fought was merely a tiny fragment of Erebos.
But even that was an opponent she could only barely defeat by squeezing out every last bit of her strength.
‘But this... it's different from the black flames back then!’
She could feel a deeper darkness.
As the inheritor of the Flame of Purification, Lunia felt an endless fear from Erebos's flames.
‘I have to stop it!’
Clenching her teeth, Lunia unleashed an even more intense flame.
Her fiery red hair was dyed pure white.
Everyone was mesmerized by the sight.
The madly rampaging black flames also seemed to notice Lunia, flying towards her.
Kwagagagagaga-! Fwoosh-!
Eiran stood before Lunia.
In Eiran's hands was a shield that emitted the light of life.
It was the shield imbued with the power of fairies, a gift from Dweno.
Blocking the black flames, Eiran furrowed her delicate brow.
Just then, a powerful aura of wind raged.
The wind aura pushed back the black flames.
It was Seirun's student council president, Hardin.
“Students of Seirun, listen up. These are the flames of Erebos!”
Hardin, too, had fought against Erebos in Luna's world, so he saw through the flame's identity at once.
The students of Seirun wore shocked expressions at Hardin's shout.
“From this moment, we will eliminate the source of these flames.”
“Student Hardin!”
Rhagen reacted hysterically.
“Does the student council president of Seirun dare to destroy Sir Seirun's record!”
“Even if that is Sir Seirun's record, I believe that leaving the source of this crisis untouched goes against not only Sir Seirun's will, but Sir Luna's will as well. Don't you agree?”
“Right, right. Our president speaks well.”
“What are you all doing? If you are to follow in the footsteps of the great Progenitor of the Nebula and the Comet Mage, then fighting Erebos is your duty.”
At the words of the 5th-year valedictorian, Marven, and salutatorian, Evertun, the students moved in perfect unison.
Watching the Seirun students instantly assume combat stances, the mages attending the conference also prepared to cast their spells.
Leo, who had been observing the scene, glared at the black flames and spoke.
“Anyas.”
“Yes, Lord Leo.”
The daughter of the Northern Magic Tower Master, Anyas, appeared behind Leo as if she had been waiting and answered politely.
“With the Northern Magic Tower Master's power, can you forcibly warp everyone here outside of the Hall of Comets?”
“From outside to in would be impossible, but from inside to out should be possible.”
Leo glared at Seirun's Hero Record and said.
“Tell him to do it at once.”
“Understood.”
Anyas bowed her head and quickly ran to the Northern Magic Tower Master.
After hearing the message, Algren glanced at Leo for a moment before raising his mana.
As befitting the master of the Northern Magic Tower, Algren warped everyone in the hall outside.
Whoosh-!
Those who had taken combat stances wore bewildered expressions at the sudden development.
“What is this...?”
“Northern Magic Tower Master! What do you think you're...!”
KABOOOOOM! FWOOOOSH-!
Simultaneously, the black flames exploded, swallowing the Hall of Comets.
Ruuuumble-!
With that, the towering Hall of Comets collapsed.
Seirun's long-preserved records burned and vanished.
Everyone was dumbfounded at the sight of the Hall of Comets, a symbol of Seirun, turning to ash and crumbling.
At the same time.
An aura of death was detected from the Plaza of Stars, located at Seirun's highest point.
A gate opened, and undead poured out from it.
“Wh-what is that!”
“The Necro King...?”
“How long has it been since the Demon Queen invaded Seirun for the Necro King's power to reach this place!”
“Acting Headmaster Rhagen! Explain this situation! Are you not the one in charge of the Plaza of Stars as acting headmaster!”
The instructors of Seirun reacted with fury.
But Rhagen had vanished.
The Seirun instructors' anger turned towards the members of the Pureblood Society.
At that, the faces of the Pureblood Society members turned pale.
“W-we don't know anything about this!”
“That's right!”
They pleaded urgently, but it was no use.
The undead had already appeared during the first-years' midterm exam, which was organized by the Pureblood Society.
With another strange incident occurring under these circumstances, the only conceivable culprit was the Pureblood Society.
It was then.
Whoooooooooom-!
The black flames that had turned the Hall of Comets to ash began to gather.
Everyone's face stiffened as they watched Erebos take the form of a giant flame titan.
[Grwooooooooooar-!]
A massive roar echoed.
The faces of all who heard the roar filled with terror.
The Primordial Evil.
The roar of the calamity that could destroy the world was enough to make the living lose their will to fight.
Everyone took a step back.
Terrified, they sensed their own deaths.
At that moment.
“Snap out of it!”
A great shout echoed through Seirun.
“A Howling?”
Everyone stared in surprise at the one who had shouted.
There stood Leo, wreathed in a golden aura.
Thud- Thud-
“Now is not the time to be pointing fingers. And it's certainly not the time to be paralyzed by fear.”
Leo stood before Erebos.
“If you respect the Progenitor of the Nebula.”
Leo looked Erebos straight in the eye and spoke clearly.
“If you follow the will of the Comet Mage.”
Whoooom-!
A gray mana swirled from Leo's body.
“Trust in yourselves and fight that thing. That is your duty for enrolling in this academy.”
The absolute terror vanished.
Having ignited their fighting spirit, Leo glared at Erebos.
‘So Seirun's Hero Record was acting as a gateway after all.’
Except for the Hero Records of the Beginning stored in Dragonia, no other Hero Records of the Heroes of the Beginning remain in this world.
Even the Hero Records of the Great Heroes, which Tartaros had focused on destroying, still exist.
But far fewer Hero Records of the Heroes of the Beginning remain.
Leo knew the reason, having heard it from Mel.
Before the Heroes of the Beginning entered the World of Heroes to stop Erebos.
They had destroyed their own Hero Records to prevent them from being used as gateways and left word for future generations to destroy any records that had escaped their reach.
Fwooooosh-!
Just then, a pure white flame soared.
Leo turned his head toward Lunia.
There, Lunia was casting a spell, a sphere of flame forming in her hand.
The magic Luna had left behind to counter Erebos.
Flame Emperor.
Fwoosh-!
The pure white flame, symbolizing purification, swallowed the black fire.
[Graaaaaaaaaaaaaah!]
Erebos's furious roar echoed.
In response, Leo drew his sword.
Fwoosh-!
A crimson phoenix flame soared high into the sky.
Leo launched a flaming sword strike toward the opening Lunia had created.
Kwagagagagak-!
[Uwooooooooooar!]
Erebos's hate-filled cry resounded.
‘...It hasn't been fully released yet.’
Leo narrowed his eyes.
It's certainly threatening.
But it was too weak to be called a fragment of Erebos that the Heroes of the Beginning had fought.
At that moment.
Stagger-! Thud-!
Erebos swayed and then fell to its knees.
“Did it take damage?”
A mage shouted urgently.
‘...No. Neither my attack nor Lunia's dealt that much damage.’
Narrowing his eyes, Leo momentarily felt the flames at Erebos's core distort.
As if being sucked in.
Seeing that, Leo realized.
‘Someone's fighting from the inside.’
***
Fwoooooooosh-!
Black flames were everywhere.
The landscape was already nothing but ashes.
Gripping Cometes, Seirun unleashed his mana.
A magic formula appeared in the air.
“Terminus.”
As the spell completed, a light of destruction raged.
Kwoooooo-!
The black flames scattered futilely.
Covered in burns, Seirun slammed his staff down on the black flames as they tried to regenerate.
Thud-!
“You! You're not getting out of here!”
Screaming as if possessed, Seirun looked at the black flames gathering before him.
Whooooooom-!
A giant of calamity, wreathed in black flames, appeared.
[How foolish.]
The black flame looked down at Seirun indifferently.
[Your comrades cannot come to this world.]
There was nothing in its voice.
It neither mocked the struggling Seirun nor felt anger at being obstructed.
It didn't even feel annoyance at the bothersome Seirun.
As if simply gazing upon a transient life form.
As if it couldn't comprehend his struggle, Erebos spoke.
[What can you possibly do alone?]
“I...”
Seirun gripped Cometes and clenched his teeth.
“I made a promise!”
Blood burst from his bitten lip.
“I promised Lady Luna! That I would protect the world they left for us, no matter what!”
Seirun's hands trembled.
He wasn't afraid of death.
The moment he witnessed the sacrifices of the great heroes.
He had already prepared for death.
What he feared was the fact that he might not be able to protect the world they had left behind.
And his own powerlessness to keep his promise.
“I told Lady Luna... to trust... only in me...!”
Watching Seirun steel himself with a trembling voice, Erebos spoke.
[What value is there in a promise made to a dead illusion?]
“......!”
[And... even if you made a promise, what good is it?]
For the first time, a hint of mockery entered Erebos's voice.
[You are nothing but a foolish mortal who overestimates yourself.]
Seirun's hands trembled.
[Luna Rubinance was a magnificent being. A treasure of the lower world worthy of challenging me, an immortal. But you are not Luna Rubinance. Nor are you nearly as great.]
Seirun's face twisted.
[If Luna Rubinance saw you like this, would she have been able to trust you?]
He was at a loss for words.
[You should not make promises you cannot keep, mortal.]
He knew better than anyone.
That what he was doing now was a meaningless struggle.
It had been a long time since he'd lost faith in himself.
His spirit was wearing away.
The will he was barely holding onto was breaking.
Still...
‘I can't give up.’
Seirun looked as if he were about to cry.
‘Because I made a promise to them.’